The present invention is directed generally to a centrifugal air cleaner and more particularly to such a device for efficiently extracting pollutants from an air stream, such as weld smoke.
Heavily polluted air such as weld smoke can relatively quickly clog conventional air filters thereby requiring frequent, and therefore costly, filter replacement.
Other problems associated with the use of conventional air cleaners for weld smoke include the probability of holes being burned through the flame resistant treated paper filter cartridge by burning sparks carried within the weld smoke.
Filter cartridges are often coated with a precoat material to decrease the adhesion of pollutants to the filter cartridge. Such precoat material is generally introduced into the filter compartment through a single opening with the result that the portion of the filter closest to the opening is heavily coated and portions of the filter spaced further from the opening may remain uncoated.
Replaceable filter cartridges may be reusable by performing a blowdown operation wherein a blast of reverse air flow blows pollutants from the exterior surface of the filter cartridge. Conventional air cleaners accomplish this blowdown operation by directing a blast of pressurized air into the interior of a filter cartridge from a single discharge port so that portions of the filter are cleaned to a greater extent than other portions. A downward blast of air into an upright tubular cartridge will tend to clean the lower end of the cartridge better than the upper end, for example.
Finally, the removal of pollutants from an air cleaner can be a cumbersome and messy operation. No welder wishes to end his work day with a task that results in himself and his clothing being soiled.
Accordingly, a primary object of the invention is to provide an efficient centrifugal air cleaner for extracting pollutants from an air stream, such as weld smoke.
Another object is to provide such an air cleaner wherein much of the pollutants are separated from the air stream without contacting being the filter cartridge.
Another object is to provide such an air cleaner including a flame arrestor for extinguishing sparks prior to their contact with the filter cartridge.
Another object is to provide such an air cleaner with a device for cleaning the flame arrestor without removing it from the air cleaner.
Another object is to provide such an air cleaner with structure for uniformly coating a tubular filter cartridge with precoat material.
Another object is to provide a centrifugal air cleaner with apparatus for accomplishing a thorough and generally uniform blowdown of a tubular filter cartridge along the full length of the cartridge.
Another object is to provide a centrifugal air cleaner with structure for quickly and easily removing pollutants collected therein.
Another object is to provide such an air cleaner with a system for automatically removing pollutants to a waste receptacle with no manual contact with the pollutants.
Another object of the invention is to provide a centrifugal air cleaner which is operative to clean polluted air streams from multiple sources such as the weld smoke from a plurality of welders.
Finally, an object of the invention is to provide a centrifugal air cleaner which is simple and rugged in construction, economical to manufacture and efficient in operation.